


Grimm Tales

by kelex



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 08:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kelex/pseuds/kelex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A vacation spot turns into a bit more than the Doctor and Rose anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grimm Tales

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Briar Rose](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/35437) by the-untempered-prism. 



The TARDIS engines ground to a halt, and Rose locked her knees. Over time, she'd found the best way to survive a TARDIS ride on your feet was to grab on with your hands and keep loose. Otherwise, she'd be picking herself up off the floor--or the Doctor would be picking her up. 

But she was really looking forward to the week's vacation the Doctor had promised her, and the green oceans and indigo skies of Joraxa had been too good to pass up. 

All the same, though, Rose's excitement dwindled a bit when the Doctor flung open the TARDIS doors to reveal a dense green forest instead of white sand and emerald oceans. "This isn't--how did we--what?" He ran back to the console, flipping switches. "Yeah, still set for Joraxa, except this isn't Joraxa, not even close." He put on his glasses before peering around. "And judging by that binary sun, we're a long way off course."

Before Rose had a chance to express her complete lack of shock, there was the crash of oncoming arrival in the forest. The Doctor pushed Rose behind him, holding the sonic screwdriver out like a weapon. A moment later, a young girl about ten years of age burst out of the woods. A hooded red cloak flapped behind her, and a picnic hamper hung from the girl's elbow. "Hello!" she chirped. "My name is Laxic, and welcome to Grimly!" She waved. "Do you have a reservation?"

Rose and the Doctor just looked at each other. "Uh, no, no, we don't. I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler. Where--"

The little girl--Laxic, she'd called herself--gave an audible clacking as her eyes spun like print wheels.

"Ooh, robot," the Doctor murmured. 

Another clack, and Laxic spoke again. "Permanent reservation, confirmed. Doctor, The, plus Companion. Follow the path to the gingerbread house for registration. Please enjoy your stay! Now you really must excuse me, I'm supposed to be visiting my grandmother today. Good-bye!"

"Well… that was weird. I mean, that was weird, wasn't it?" he added, turning to Rose for confirmation. Sometimes his idea of weird was… off.

"Oh, yeah, that was really weird," Rose confirmed. "That was Little Red Riding Hood, an' the gingerbread house sounds like the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel."

"I, uh, actually I meant the permanent reservation thing, but that other stuff is weird, too," he agreed, scratching his jaw. "Because really, permanent reservation, Doctor plus One?" His finger waggled to include the pair of them together. "Who'd know I'm not traveling alone?"

Rose scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Anyone who's ever met you. You like people, Doctor, it's pretty obvious to anyone who's ever met you."

He gave her a look of half-exasperation and half -adoration, with adoration quickly winning out. "Feel like checking out the gingerbread house?"

"Of course!"

The Doctor held out his hand, and Rose took it, laughing. Running like children, hand in hand, they took off down the path indicated by the child robot.

Before too long, they reached the gingerbread house. Truth in advertising it was, a real house made out of iced gingerbread and sugar candies, complete with a bird pecking little bites off the roof. And the door was open, seeming to expect them.

"Fancy a peek inside, or d'you need a nibble first?" He scanned the house, then snapped off half a windowsill. He broke that piece in half, and offered part of it to Rose. "Not bad--a little chewy, needs milk."

Rose accepted the snack and started nibbling. "It's actually pretty good," she protested, following the Doctor around back of the house. "Icing's a bit sweet though." 

The sonic screwdriver apparently proclaimed everything safe all the way around, and the Doctor tucked it away. "It's not so bad," he countered, swiping a finger through a patch on the door as he walked in with Rose.

"Doctor!" A beefy spiny green-skinned male bolted up from behind the desk. "Regenerated, have you?"

"Luon!" The Doctor beamed brightly, and embraced the behemoth.

"Luon!" Rose almost shoved the Doctor out of the way for her hug.

"Rosie, my Rosie, you broke me heart when you left!" The giant scooped Rose off the ground and swung her about as she laughed. "Tell me you'll stay?"

"Oi!" The Doctor's tone was scolding. "Put that girl down!" He'd almost said _my girl_ and he knew Luon caught the thought by his expression. "So where are we, and what are you doing here? I thought you were selling housing plots on Golgi II!"

When Luon blushed, his green skin darkened. "Opportunity knocked, and as my time on Golgi was drawing to a rapid close, I chose to jump ship, as it were, and make my way here!"

"And, uh, where is here, exactly?" Rose was back on the ground, hand safe in the Doctor's. "And what's with the storybook stuff and little robot girls?"

Luon's face got serious. "You're on Hans, in the Grimley system. Grimley's all about pre-packaged fantasy vacations, and every planet's got a theme. This one's fairy tales, human and otherwise. Roboforms play most of the characters, but they're... dodgy." A little shudder. "Dangerous, like. Not deadly, but still a little dangerous. The Big Bad Wolf, for instance, actually bit a Zintareen playing the huntsman. And the Papa Bear robot almost ate Goldilocks. Very glad you're here, Doctor."

"Well, looks like you're taking me on vacation after all!" Rose almost bounced.

The Doctor favored Rose with an excited grin. "I'm game if you are!"

Rose looked eagerly at Luon. "Well?"

Luon was already clacking away at the computer. "As luck might have it, we got a pair of openings in Sleepin' Beauty. Otherwise I'd have to split up the pair of you, and I remember how fond of * _that_ * the Doctor is."

The muffled squeal of glee told the Doctor they'd be taking the Sleeping Beauty package. "Well, I don't think there's any harm in seeing what's going on before we start disassembling things."

"So who are we going to be?" Rose asked, watching Luon dig in his desk.

"Well, right now, there's Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip. That ought to get you integrated." Finally he extricated a black rectangle device and tossed it to the Doctor. "That's a communicator, so's you can reach me, any time. And it's set to employee codes, so if you get in trouble, identify yourself as staff with this thing. That'll cut off any active roboform, no matter what it's doing. And the teleporter will take you straight on the wardrobe, so when you're ready, just step in the light and you'll be on the go!"

"Okay, thanks very much, and we'll be back as soon as we figure out what's going on."

"We'll be back once the story's done," Rose corrected firmly. "You promised me vacation, Doctor, and you're going to deliver." Yanking him firmly behind, she led the way to the teleport chamber.

"What I said, innit? We'd go through the thing to see the roboform malfunctions," the Doctor protested as they were enveloped by the teleporter's blue light.

The Doctor reappeared alone, in a grey-walled room. "Rose!" he shouted instantly, fists banging on the walls, searching for a door. "Rose!"

"Doctor!?" There was a pounding on the other side of the third wall, and that's where Rose's voice was coming from. "I can hear you, Doctor, I'm here!"

Out came the sonic screwdriver, and as soon as he'd turned it on, a floor-length window opened in the wall. "Rose!" Are you all right?" The Doctor leaned in, hands resting heavily on the glass.

On her side, Rose brought her hands up, trying to touch the Doctor through the glass. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm here."

"Stay there, I'm coming to get you." The screwdriver read nothing but regular glass as the barrier, and he was about to shatter it when a droid appeared behind Rose. "Rose…"

"You got one, too. Didn't Luon mention wardrobe?" she answered, keeping her voice calm and level.

"yeah, and he also said the robots were acting a bit dodgy." The Doctor looked at the stationary roboform behind Rose, then half-turned to examine his. Both had been mocked up to look like grey-haired grandmotherly types, with warm smiles and twinkly eyes. "Don't do anything with yours til I say." He turned to face his robot directly. "So what's your story, Gran?"

The robot clicked to life. "Mornin', dearie! What's your name, then?"

"I'm the Doctor," he answered, still keeping the screwdriver out and aimed low, just in case.

The droid's eyes clacked as she searched for the information. "There you are, slotted up for the Prince and the lady is the Princess, that's just lovely. My name is Vima, and I'll get you dressed."

"Oh, no thanks, not for me, ta. Don't think I'd look right, prancing about the forest in tights and a cape." He gave a mock shudder. "Fine as I am all the same."

Vima's eyes glowed red. "You must dress your part, Mister Doctor. It is required that all participants dress appropriately for the entertainment chosen." The robot raised one arm and the hand had been replaced by a laser tube. "Please choose an appropriate costume. Your clothing will be laundered and returned for your convenience at the end of your story." 

"Doctor!" Rose's hands were still pressed against the glass as the Doctor was menaced by the robot.

"No, stay where you are. If you wake yours up, you'll have to change into a costume and I don't know what their idea of appropriate is or what they'll do if you say no. I'm coming to get you." The Doctor dug in his pocket for the communicator Luon had given them. "Employees don't have to get in fancy dress, do they?"

Vima received the codes transmitted from the box. "Have a pleasant day." The red eyes faded immediately, and she shut down. The communicator also opened the window between the changing rooms.

The Doctor opened his arms as Rose jumped into them. "Looks like they get a little cranky when somebody goes off-script," the Doctor mused, keeping Rose close.

"Then they're really going to hate you," Rose commented. "Wonder what happens when it goes the way it's meant to."

"They're simple enough, if you want to try," he said after a quick scan to make sure this droid was like the other. "Give it a go if you like." He was more confident about letting her engage the robot once he was near enough to protect her.

Rose gave the Doctor another hug, then spun to face her robot. "Hello?"

The robot clacked to life, responding exactly as the Doctor's had. "Mornin' dearie! What's your name, then?" Even had the same voice. 

"Rose Tyler!"

More clacking eyes. "There you are, slotted up for the Princess, and your lad is the Prince, that's just lovely. My name is Xima, and I'll get you dressed." 

"Um, okay. What kind of dresses you got?" Rose searched the room quickly, seeing nothing. Suddenly, the ceiling cracked open with a whoosh, and racks of dresses descended. Two racks were full of pink and blue gowns, and a third was full of black and gray peasant dresses. "What should I choose?"

The question had been meant for the Doctor, but Xima answered. "One of each, dearie. One peasant and one ball gown. Once you're at the castle, you'll be shown a place to change."

So far, no trouble, because Rose hadn't bucked the script. But it was bothering the Doctor all the same, because that was nothing but a programming glitch, and Luon wouldn't have called them here for just a glitch. So he waited, fairly patiently for him, while Rose selected the proper dresses. The robot fussed about a bit, tucking pleats and tacking up hems. 

Then she spoke. "Time to get you dressed, dearie!"

Rose pointed at the Doctor. "And you better close your eyes, Doctor."

He balked. Not because he wanted to invade Rose's privacy, but "You don't think I'm taking my eyes off the robot that might kill you."

"Yeah, but you said as long as I do what it says, I'll be okay. And I'm doin' exactly what it wants. So, close your eyes and let me get dressed."

"How about I turn my back instead?" he offered, doing exactly that. He could see the robot's reflection in the glass, as clear as day, but the angle made Rose's reflection a murky mess. A curve here, a flash of skin there, that's all he could see. 

"All right, Doctor, you can turn around now." 

When he did, Rose was changed. Barefoot, of course, and her hair was down loose around her shoulders. The grey-and-black peasant dress fit her like a dream. It made her waist look tiny, the black corset enhanced her chest, and the skirt flared out around her legs to reveal calves he'd never actually noticed before.

After a few seconds, Rose walked over and clicked her fingers in the Doctor's direct eye-line. "Hello, you all right? Doctor!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, fine, great, wonderful! You look good, yeah. Now, Xima, what say we get on our story, eh?" The Doctor cleared his throat, dragging his hands through his hair. He really hadn't meant to stare at Rose like that, but she really was beautiful.

"Eager little bloke, isn't he?" The robot laughed, and the dressing area's back wall rose to reveal a forest path. "Right down the path, Princess, by the lake. We'll send the Prince along in a bit."

The Doctor wasn't about to let that happen. "No, sorry, I'm the Princess' Doctor and official escort and protector." He used the employee codes on the robot to shut it down again, then held out his elbow for Rose. "Princess?"

"My Prince Charming." Rose's smile was open and sincere as she took the Doctor's arm. Anyone else might've thought the precautions excessive--except Rose. "So what do you think is the problem?" she asked, walking arm in arm with the Doctor.

"Some kind of glitch in the roboform programming?" he answered absently, looking around the forest. "Don't know what's causing it, though."

"But Luon wouldn't call us for just a glitch though, right?" Rose didn't know she was echoing the Doctor's thoughts.

"That's right, which is why we're gonna go off-book," he answered with a grin. "Maybe if we upset enough robots, we'll find out what's really going on."

Rose just groaned. "One day? You, me, real vacation." She squeezed the Doctor's arm tightly, and gave him a sunny smile.

"Anywhere you like," the Doctor promised. "Any time you like, really. Want an Old West vacation? Take you back, spend a week panning for gold."

That made Rose laugh. "Not my idea of a good time, working that hard. More like a spa day. Somewhere fancy, with mud baths and hot rocks and massages, steam rooms, someone to shampoo my hair."

The Doctor's face wrinkled in confusion. "You really want somebody to wash your hair?"

"Well, not every night, but once in a while, yeah. Feels good, havin' somebody with their hands in your hair like that, focused on nothin' but giving you pleasure," Rose explained.

"Must be a human thing. Rose… look over there and tell me if you see that horse." He squinted. "I think that's supposed to be mine, that horse. So what does the prince do with a bloody white charger, rescue the damsel in distress?"

"Eventually, yeah, but this damsel doesn't need a rescue," Rose retorted, twirling to make her skirt flare out. "If I remember right, the Prince--that's you--meets a peasant girl--that's me, by the lake, has a song and dance bit, and fall in love. Can you still dance, Doctor?"

"Um, yeah, a bit." Music started trickling in from somewhere in the trees, and he held out his hand to Rose. "May I have this dance, beautiful maid?"

"I thought we were going off-book?" she asked curiously, coming to the Doctor nevertheless.

"Ah, no robots. Not yet, anyway. No reason to pass up a perfectly good dance, is there?" He spun rose into his arms as the music swelled. It was a majestic sounding waltz, and to Rose's surprise, the Doctor didn't miss a single step. More than that, it was a natural feeling, being in the Doctor's arms, and dancing so smoothly it seemed as if they were gliding over the forest floor. 

As the music started fading, their steps slowed, and then stopped when the music was gone. "Now wh-"

Rose's question, whatever it was going to be, got swallowed up by the Doctor's mouth pressing against hers. Feather-soft at first, the kiss quickly deepened as the Doctor gathered her in close. Rose melted, but she didn't get a chance to respond. 

Seconds after the first touch, robotic hands yanked them apart. Rose cried out, stumbling backwards and landing on her backside. Soft grass cushioned her fall, making it painless, but her way was blocked by a red-eyed roboform.

"Caution: you are not following your storyline. The Prince must not kiss the Princess until the end of the act. Further deviation from the script will result in your ejection from the park."

"Rose!" A second robot was repeating the same warning to the Doctor, until the Doctor flashed his employee codes to both robots. Rose's robot helped her to her feet, then stood silently. Both robots still had red eyes. He pulled her over to him, hugging her to make sure she was unharmed. "Names and functions," the Doctor demanded. 

"Angel One and Angel Two, script monitors," came the monotone reply. Obviously, Angel One was programmed to be the alpha of the pair.

"Script monitors, what does that mean?" Rose asked, looking back up at the Doctor.

When no reply came, the Doctor made it an order. "Answer her question, now. Reply to anything she asks."

"Script monitors provide interstitial instructions and stage directions according to a chosen script. Inside each fantasy script there is a certain latitude for creativity and individual responses, but we are programmed to ensure all scripted fantasies run their appropriate course." 

"I see, so you're helpers. Someone doesn't know what's next, you come along and move them to the next story point, yeah? That's brilliant, really. Just program in the basics and they'll sort out the wrinkles."

"But why the red eyes? Is it--"

Angel One interrupted, answering Rose's question as ordered. "Our optics are white light-emitting diodes with carbide and copper wiring. Optics are not red."

"Oh but they are," the Doctor countered. "And it's not the first time I've seen it. What is your diagnostic procedure?"

"All Angel units are equipped with onboard diagnostic programs as well as ports for exterior connections."

"Run your onboard diagnostics and report the results." He looked at Rose, putting an arm around her. "You all right?"

"Fine, yeah, the grass cushioned my fall. What're you looking for, running checks? And why don't they know their eyes are red?"

"Both very good questions. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm looking for until I stumble across it, and I don't know why they can't tell. Loose connection, maybe?" The Doctor tapped the communicator against his chin as he thought.

"You know, the Ood had red eyes when they were… what, possessed? By that thing in the Pit," Rose mused after a moment. "Could something be possessing these things?"

"Thought about that," the Doctor agreed. "Can't say for sure; mechanical nature might say no, but I never say never. I'm hoping that whatever the onboard diagnostics say, it'll give us a clue. Maybe they are possessed, maybe they got a virus. Cause none of the attacks that Luon told us about are fatal." That, of course, led to another train of thought. "Angel Two, is there a malfunction log?"

"Affirmative."

"Fantastic. Access the malfunction logs for all roboforms for… oh, last three months, and report any incidents involving injury." The Doctor turned back to Rose. "Now, let's see what's really happening." Sliding his overcoat off, he spread it over the grass.

Rose immediately stretched out on the Doctor's coat, and waited for him to join her. They sat back to back, heads resting against each other, hands loosely linked to the side. She _really_ wanted to ask him about the kiss, but figured that now wasn't the time or the place. "You know, I thought it'd be fun doin' this, but not with robots looking over my shoulder, making sure I don't get too far out the lines."

"Well, I can see why some people might enjoy it. You humans, you've got so much imagination bottled up in those tiny little brains of yours. You don't like being told you can't do something, you just turn around and do it twice as hard. One of the things I love about you. But lots of species out there don't have that kind of imagination, that determination. They need that structure, or they're lost."

Rose was both amused and annoyed at the way the Doctor sometimes talked about humans. At least he'd stopped calling them stupid apes. Sometimes, she thought he'd mellowed out a bit more, but every once in a while she'd see a flash of the hardness he'd had when they first met. "It's so strange, the way you talk about people. Like you're not ever a part of things."

"I'm not," he said simply. And he would've said more except Angel Two clacked loudly. "Well, now we're getting somewhere."

"Malfunction logs processed. No personal injuries have been reported in the past three months," reported the robot, then it fell silent again. 

The Doctor got to his feet, and exchanged glances with Rose, who was also getting to her feet. "But that's impossible." He used the communicator. "Luon, you there?"

"Right here, Doctor." Luon's reply crackled with static at first, but cleared up almost instantly. "Everything okay?"

"At the moment, yeah. Those attacks you told us about, when did they happen?" The Doctor kept a close eye on Angel One, who was still running diagnostics.

"Uh, let me check. The wolf happened… three weeks ago. And Papa Bear… last week. We've had incidents on other planets, too, all over the last two months, but Grimsley itself only started having problems three weeks ago."

"Then you're looking at a pretty big problem here, because I just asked one of your Angel guides and it didn't report a single incident," replied the Doctor warily. 

Luon's voice was shocked. "But that's not possible, Doctor. I'm reading the malfunction log myself now, and they're all right here, plain as day!"

"Diagnostic cycle complete. All systems functioning at peak efficiency." Angel One made its report and fell silent. Both One and Two still displayed red eyes, but no aggression. 

"Can you recall roboforms from there?"

"I'm on it, Doctor. Sending out a maintenance recall for Angels One and Two. They'll come in to the repair bays and deactivate. What am I looking for?" Luon sounded eager to help. 

"Red eyes. And anything else that might be wrong. Memory corruption especially; I really want to know why Two didn't find anything in the logs." Another look to Rose with a questioning glance and a raise of his eyebrow; she winked back. "Rose and I, we're going ahead."

"You just be careful with that sweet Rosie, Doctor." Luon's communicator closed the channel with a snap.

"I always am." The Doctor tucked the communicator away, then addressed the guide robots. "Where do we go next?"

Angel One clacked. "The Princess Briar Rose must proceed to the peasant cottage while the Prince proceeds to the castle. The Princess will then be guided to the changing area while the Prince is captured and rescued by the Good Fairies."

Oh, the Doctor didn't like the sound of that at all. There was absolutely no chance that he was going to let them be separated for that long. "Well then, off to the cottage we go!"

After seeing the robots' earlier reactions, Rose was in no hurry to leave the Doctor's side. "Don't be long," she said with a shaky smile. "So where's this cottage?"

Trees and bushes rustled, then moved completely aside to reveal a previously-hidden pathway. "Please proceed down the pathway, Princess."

"I'm coming with you, Rose." The Doctor sprinted past the robots to catch up with her. The employee codes from earlier still seemed to hold the Angel guides in place, and he was able to pass without incident. When he reached her side, the Doctor slipped his hand into Rose's.

Rose squeezed gratefully, following the path. It started to narrow, pushing them from side-by-side to single file. She stayed in the lead, one arm stretched behind her as she stayed firmly connected to her Doctor. 

The cottage came into view some minutes later, and the Doctor pulled up short. "You hear that?"

Pausing, Rose tilted her head to listen. "I don't hear anything," she said after a moment. "Shouldn't there be like, birds or something?"

"Yeah, should. Even if it's just recorded, there ought to be playback of some sort. Instead, we got silence, ever since we got on the path. Interesting."

"Important?" Rose asked, looking round before looking at the Doctor. 

"Important? Don't know. But definitely interesting." The Doctor looked around too, and didn't see anything else amiss. "Well, guess it's time we head inside, then!"

Rose stepped in first, and in the center of the room, on a wooden table, sat a multi-tiered pink-iced birthday cake. It was adorned with sixteen lit candles, and was topped with sugar flowers. Draped over a nearby chair was the ball gown that Rose had chosen earlier. She barely had time to look around before three robots popped from behind the pantry. "Happy Birthday, Rose!"

Rose looked startled until she remembered the Princess in the story was also called Briar Rose. "It's all right, Doctor, you can stay outside!" Then, to the robots, "Oh, it's lovely, thank you so much."

"Oh, my dear, you're so very welcome! So what did you do today, all alone in the woods?"

Rose's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I wasn't alone! I was with the most wonderful man. We walked, and we talked, and how we danced." A giggle that wasn't faked at all, and Rose hugged herself as she twirled in place.

The Doctor grinned as he watched Rose through the window. She was brilliant, playing the story perfectly as a born actress. And as long as she was having a good time, as long as there was no danger, he saw no reason to intervene.

One of the three robots, made to look like everybody's idea of Great-Auntie Myrtle, edged a little closer to Rose, and put a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, my dear, but you'll never see your--" Her eyes flared red. "--Doctor again."

The Doctor burst through the window as soon as he saw the eyes change color. "What are you? Let Rose go, right now." In one hand was the sonic screwdriver, and the other, the communicator. He used the communicator first, with no effect at all. 

Myrtle-bot declined. "I'm sorry, but we must have the Princess to finish the story, but you will never allow it. She will not be harmed, Doctor." 

The Doctor tossed the useless communicator aside, and raised the screwdriver a little bit higher. "You have once chance, one choice. Let Rose go right now, and I'll see that you get whatever it is you need if you stand down, right now. And if you don't, I'll stop you."

Myrtle-bot's eyes glowed a ruby red. "Get him!"

A trapdoor opened, as did the front door. What seemed like hundreds of goblin-shaped bots swarmed over the Doctor in a heartbeat. "Rose!"

"Doctor!" Rose was fighting against the three elderly-looking robots, but having absolutely no success. "Doctor, we're going! Out the back!" That was all she got out before a robotic hand clamped over her mouth. 

"I'll come for you, Rose! Just do what they say and you'll be all right!" The Doctor was working as quickly as he could, but wasn't making near enough headway. For every handful of goblins he was able to deactivate, another swarmed up to take their place. He was nearly overwhelmed until laser bolts from over his shoulder started exploding the goblin bots. 

"I got your back, Doctor." Luon's deep voice boomed over the laser shots and the whine of the screwdriver. In moments, all the goblinbots were either destroyed or deactivated. "When your communicator signal went offline, thought I better check it out, and glad I did." A pause. "Where's Rose?"

"They took her, the three old lady robots." The Doctor kicked smashed robot pieces out of the way until he found the broken communicator. "They didn't acknowledge the staff codes you gave. The others did, but these didn't. Once had the red eyes, and it called me Doctor. They were going by the script, but right in the middle, they grabbed Rose. Said they needed the Princess to finish the story, that she wouldn't be hurt. Then she called the goblin things up."

Luon holstered the laser. "Out the back, yeah?" At the Doctor's confirmation, he kept explaining. "That's still following the script, sort of. The three fairies--the old women--take the Princess out the back, and when the Prince comes in, the goblins grab him. They take the Princess to the castle, and that's where she pricks her finger and falls to sleep."

The Doctor pinned Luon with a glare. "Falls to sleep?"

"Light sedative, on the spindle she touches. Makes the Princess sleep, til the Prince kisses her awake," Luon added defensively. "It's nothing dangerous, just diphenhydramine. It's an old Earth drug, but it works on almost everybody with no real side effects."

The Doctor waved the explanation away. "I know what it is. Luon, you've got to go back and shut everything down. Turn all the roboforms off, because they're out of control. And if they're turned off, whatever is taking them over might just show itself."

"No." Stubborn alien met stubborn alien. "It's too dangerous for you to go without staff protection."

"The staff codes don't work right now!" shouted the Doctor.

"--and you don't know the story," Luon continued, speaking over the Doctor completely. "And you need to stay alive to rescue Rose."

"Don't you worry about that. I will find her, and whomever is behind this will pay. But you need to go now and deactivate every robot on every planet," the Doctor replied calmly. "Nobody else needs to get hurt."

Luon obviously wanted to go with the Doctor, but he just nodded, shoulders sagging. "Before you go, I got the maintenance logs. Not a single mechanical error was logged. But I checked the incident logs, and there they were. It's like the machines don't know there's a problem."

A huge, beaming smile spread across the Doctor's face. "Rose Tyler, you are brilliant. She figured it out, she saw it, she asked the right questions! " He pointed at Luon. "Turn them all off, then meet me at the Princess' castle!" With that, he bolted out the back door.

\-----

Rose was struggling as hard as she could without hurting herself. She'd heard the Doctor promise to come for her, and she had absolutely no doubt that he'd do it. That was the only certainty she had at the moment, or needed.

Silence had won her freedom from the robotic hand trying to gag her, so she was at least able to breathe. But they were still dragging her along, all three at once. They kept saying things that were meant to be reassuring, but still sounded vaguely ominous: _"We're almost there, love!"_ , and _"Not long now!"_ , and _"Just wait, my dear, you'll see!._ "

One of the aunts was carrying the princess dress, fussing under her breath about Rose not being properly dressed yet. The other two were simply bundling Rose along as if they knew letting her go meant her escaping.

But only the lead robot had red eyes, Rose noticed that right off. She was the one in the lead, doing most of the yanking. Rose tried to engage the red-eye, but that only got her threatened to be gagged again. The other two fussed over her, picking leaves out of her hair and brushing off her clothes. Finally, Rose hit on the question; "Where are you taking me? 

Red eyes turned to look at Rose. "Why, we're going to the castle, of course. Where else should a Princess be?"

"I don't want to go to the castle! I want to make sure the Doctor is all right!"

If possible, the red eyes glowed brighter. "I'm sorry, Princess, but you can never see that Doctor again. From the day you were born, you were meant for greater things. And then the Bad Wolf came, and your potential was realized." 

"But I don't remember!" Rose protested. "The Doctor took it out of my mind! I don't even know what I did, only that the Doctor saved me!"

"But the Wolf remains inside," the robot said calmly. "He took the vortex into himself and released it; when he regenerated, the energy crackled over the universe."

Before the red-eyed robot could say anything else, all three roboforms jerked to a halt. Rose could hear them powering down; even red-eyed Myrtle froze in place, her hand tightly locked around Rose's wrist. She tried to pull away, but the robot's fingers were strong. Then the red-eyed robot started up again. Her movements were jerky, steps unbalanced as she yanked Rose along behind her.

And Rose followed for the moment, terrified. She wanted the Doctor and had no doubt that she'd be saved, but the cost terrified her. She was bait, and she knew it even if the robots didn't. For her safety, the Doctor would trade himself, and that's all these creatures would need. She'd be free, surplus, because they'd have the Doctor to kill, and regenerate, kill and regenerate, until they'd siphoned his entire existence away. 

But something had happened; the Doctor, and probably Luon, had done something--turned them off! That's what they'd done, that's why only the red-eyed robot was moving. "Hey! Look, let me go. You're not strong enough, and we both want to get to the castle." Mostly because that's where the Doctor would be looking for her. And if she got there first, she might be able to leave some clues.

Myrtle stopped short, but kept a grip on Rose. "Why cooperate?"

"Ain't got much choice now, neither of us," Rose answered smartly. "You're fighting against a dead body, or near enough, and I got to get to the castle to finish the bloody story. You let me go and I'll go with you."

After a quick few moments, Rose was released. The robot's red eyes brightened and its movements became much less jerky and fragmented, as if freeing the strength used to control Rose made it easier to control the roboform instead.

That was important; apparently whatever caused red-eye only had finite power. That's information the Doctor would need. She picked up her pace as Myrtle motioned her ahead.

\-----

Luon was waiting for the Doctor at the Princess castle, and he wasn't empty-handed. A fully-recharged laser cannon rested on one giant shoulder, and a second smaller sidearm sat at his hip. A brand-new communicator was clipped to his shirt, and he tossed it to the Doctor when he got close enough. Over Luon's broad chest hung a strap, which was connected to a bag with a green crescent, just in case. Around his neck was a red button, and he gave the Doctor one of those as well. 

The Doctor held it up querulously. 

"EMP generator," Luon answered. "Management keeps them on hand in case of major malfunction. They've got a three-meter radius and a twenty-minute recharge time."

The Doctor accepted, draping the button around his neck. "I followed Rose's path, saw where two of the robots fell, meaning only one is possessed and mobile. I didn't see anything else, which hopefully means the infestation is limited."

Luon nodded his agreement. "Before I teleported here, I did a check after the shutdown. Only one machine was on the move---even the two Angel Guides you ran into were off. Funny thing is, the Meriweather robot? It still read as powered down, shut off, even though it was obviously still moving."

That was more or less what the Doctor had expected. "Rose picked up on it. She said possession. Some kind of creature, alien, something that manifests as energy. It can control a mechanical body but not take it over entirely."

"Now, if they've followed the story, they'd take the Princess to her chamber, and leave her alone, and that's when she'd be led off to the spindle. Meanwhile, the fairies go back to the cabin to rescue the Prince. But that's not a guarantee."

"All right. You go down, check the dungeon and see if they've got her down there. I'll check the chambers upstairs." The Doctor squared his shoulders. "Allons-y!"

Luon kicked the massive door down, and entered the castle. "Up the tower staircase, chamber at the top!" Luon headed to the down staircase and disappeared, his long stride swallowing up the steps.

The Doctor took the tower staircase two stairs at a time. He wanted to call out her name, just to hear her answer, but he didn't want to give himself away. The door at the top of the stairs was open, and he burst into the room. "Oh, Rose."

Rose lay as still as death on the platform bed. Her hair billowed over the pillows like clouds of spun gold, framing her closed lids and gently curved lips. He reached for the communicator. "I found her; she's asleep. We're too late."

"Yes, you are." Myrtle--actually, Meriweather--pushed the chamber door closed and locked it. "The Princess Rose has pricked her finger and waits for the Doctor's kiss to waken the Wolf, which he put to sleep."

"Who are you?" the Doctor demanded. Everything else was gray and muted as he focused all his being on the robot and Rose's too-still form. "What did you do to Rose?"

Red eyes focused on the Doctor. "We want the Bad Wolf, the energy of the universe, the heartbeat of time. We felt it when the Time Lord regenerated; the energy flew to the stars. And oh, it was delicious. Strength, renewal, sorrow, pain. The Bad Wolf, burning inside, the sorrow of the Time Lord, the pain of both."

"Devourer!" The Doctor thumped his forehead with the heel of his hands. "You're a Devourer, living off the emotional energy of the people in the stories! That's why you--" He groaned loudly. "The people had to go through the story exactly so you could feed off them when they're unconscious! Hansel and Gretel, Briar Rose, Goldilocks and the bears, they've all got someone unconscious, that's brilliant!"

"We will free the Princess Rose if you will give yourself to us," intoned the Devourer. "We can find no remnant of the Wolf in her, but it is in you, that and more." 

"Yes, all right. But you must waken Rose first and let her go. I have a friend coming--let him take her and once she's safe, I'll give myself over."

"This is acceptable," the Devourer spoke again, and unlocked the chamber door. 

Luon burst in, stopping short and looking from Rose to the Doctor. "Doctor?"

"They're going to wake Rose up, and you're going to take her somewhere safe, and you're going to make her stay there. She's yours now, so be good to her, and protect her." Reaching around his neck, he took off the EMP button and held it out to Luon. 

"No." Seemed like that was Luon's favorite word. "Do you really think Rose is going to just walk away and leave you behind in her place? Because if you do, you're not only an idiot, but you don't know Rose at all." And he refused to take back the EMP button. 

"Well, if that's the way you feel about it." The Doctor dropped the button on the floor, then stepped on it. The pulse dropped Meriweather to the floor, red eyes gone.

"You son of a--" Luon's jaw dropped. 

"What, you thought I was actually going to do that? You're going soft in the head. Look on the desk, around there, that's where Rose might've left clues. And do it fast, I don't know how long that pulse will keep her down." As he spoke, the Doctor went to the bed and knelt beside it, drawing Rose up into his arms. 

She was warm, still breathing, and her breath ghosted across his cheek. He pressed his forehead against hers, whispering softly. "Rose, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I won't let anything else come between us, I will keep you safe, I promise." His hand stroked through her hair, rubbing the golden strands between his fingers. 

"Here, Doctor," called Luon. "On the desk, she wrote. Limited energy, most of it must go to control the dead roboforms. The less they expend outwardly, the easier it is to control the body," he continued, reading Rose's handwriting. 

"Brave, smart, beautiful Rose," the Doctor murmured, holding her pressed tightly against his chest. "Here we go, Rose Tyler. Hope this works." Closing his eyes, the Doctor tipped his head just enough to kiss Rose. His mouth found hers without hesitation; even though his eyes were closed he could see her perfectly. 

The taste of Rose exploded across the Doctor's tongue, and instantly he was starved for more. He'd examine it and catalog it later; for now, he devoured it. His arms tightened around Rose and drew her in even closer. 

Suddenly there were fingers in the Doctor's hair, tugging insistently to pull him in. Somehow Rose's mouth was even softer, more pliant and yielding as she tasted his kiss and demanded more. Every look and touch and almost-moment boiled up between them, and when the kiss finally ended, they were both flushed and panting. 

Rose threw her arms eagerly around the Doctor. "I knew you'd come for me." Then she leaned back, suddenly serious. "It calls itself a Devourer, but it's not evil. She's trying to feed her family. I talked--"

"We… are… dying." The Meriweather robot spoke from its heap on the floor. "The electromagnetics disrupted our electrical field, and this body is too broken. We… die."

"No! Doctor, help her. She only wanted energy to save her family, she told me." Rose's sympathy was overwhelming.

"Luon, the greeter, the little girl--" The Doctor didn't even have to finish the thought.

"Got it." The giant alien programmed something into the communicator, and Laxic appeared in a flash of teleport energy.

The Doctor's sonic screwdriver whined, and Laxic jerked stiffly upright. The girl robot reached out, and a spark jumped from Meriweather to the girl. "All right. I wiped out the girl's program so you won't have to fight it." Then he pointed at Luon. "He's got another pulse, so start talking."

Rose had gotten out of the bed to pull the Doctor back a few steps; he was getting menacing and she needed to remind him, soothe him for a moment. "Give her a minute. When you regenerated, you let off a lot of extra energy because of the vortex. I remember that, you said you were bursting with energy."

Laxic's eyes turned red, and she spoke more strongly than she had in Meriweather. "We are relatively few in number now, less than a hundred. We had no planet, as such, but we established symbiosis with many life forms the galaxy over. But the Time War came, and we were destroyed alongside our allies, the Jeks and the Plith. We found mechanical energy a fair substitute, and we caused few glitches. Then we discovered this place." 

The Doctor flinched inwardly at the mention of the Time War, but didn't respond. This was all his fault, and he would have to help. "You realized a place like this would be perfect for you, access to both biological and mechanical energy. And then I blundered in."

Laxic nodded at her rapt audience. "The energy that escaped during your regeneration strengthened us, and for the first time since the Destruction, we spawned. We feared for our young, and so we hid them in the Angels. Then you came, Doctor. And first we thought the Bad Wolf could save us, but we tasted her and found nothing of the Wolf remained, save her strength. And so we would have traded her for you, but you have nearly destroyed us."

"Because you _kidnapped Rose_ , threatened to harm both of us, you hurt a lot of other people, and if I give you what you want, you'd be in a position to harm even more people," answered the Doctor. "I offered you help before, why didn't you talk to me then?"

"We did not know if you could be trusted to keep your word. After tasting Rose, we knew she trusted you with her life, but we could not. Now we are too weak, and we must trust. We have no other choice." Laxic fell silent, eyes still on the Doctor.

He could feel Rose and Luon staring at him, waiting for him to make a decision, to speak, _something_. "How much energy would you need to revive?"

"In this body, only a little. It is blank, and we do not have to fight it," came the response.

The Doctor held out his hand to grasp the robot's. "Take what you need and we'll talk again."

The clamor of concern from Rose and Luon was abruptly cut off as the robot's hand grasped the Doctor's. A sting, like static electricity, discharged between the Doctor's palm and the robot's. A second sting, followed by a third, and then a warm pulse as he felt something being passed into him. 

The robot withdrew its hand, and the Doctor stumbled back a step. "You have our gratitude, Doctor."

Gratitude, yes, that's what had passed into him. Gratitude, trust, and still a twinge of fear that tasted bitter and slightly metallic in the back of his throat. "If I were to offer to take you to a place all of your own, would you leave here peacefully."

"Gladly we would, but we cannot. We must have these mechanical forms--"

Luon butted in. "How many would you need? We always keep extras in storage, for replacements or new programs or whatever. If it means you getting out of here…"

Laxic considered. "If they are blank like this unit, we would require four more, one for each of our hives. Five in total."

"That's all?" Luon had expected far more. Moving back across the room, he went over to the headboard of the Princess' bed and heaved it open. The panel swung wide to reveal a computer link. "Shielded, so the EMP couldn't knock it out. Communicator's shielded, too, but this is a little more complicated." He spent a few moments tapping out commands, and the whine of the teleporter heralded success. Four roboforms materialized.

All four were dressed basically in tan pants and shirts, bald, features blank. Laxic examined each one. "They are all unprogrammed!"

Luon nodded. "Yep. Total blank slates. They got the basic operating instructions, lets it walk and move, but that's it."

The Doctor reiterated his question. "Will you leave this place in peace if I promise to help you find a new home?" 

The answer was instantaneous. "Gladly, Doctor."

\-----

Five red-eyed roboforms were aboard the TARDIS, waiting in the library. Rose was hugging Luon tightly, and the Doctor was fiddling with the control board. 

Reluctantly, Luon let Rose slide safely back to her feet. "You made a beautiful princess, but you break my heart." He sighed dramatically. "I can't compete with a kiss like that." Shaking his head, Luon held out two packages. "Your street clothes, thought you might want them. Now, you better go before he leaves you behind." Following her over, Luon peeked into the TARDIS. "Doctor, you take care of that Princess." A wink. "Come back and visit sometime, we'll always make room for you!"

The doors of the TARDIS swung closed as the engines groaned to life.

\-----

"Here we go, Jekson Minor! The Jeks colonized Minor not long after the Time War. I had a few words with their adepts, and you're welcome here. Their elders remember you, they called your relationship _The Sharing_ , and they're eager to resume it."

Laxic was almost glowing; her energy had regenerated, and the roboform was smiling. "Thank you, Doctor. We owe you our lives. If ever we can repay you--"

The Doctor held his hand up, then out in fellowship. "Just have a good life."

Each robot shook the Doctor's hand, then watched the TARDIS disappear.

\-----

Rose was waiting in the control room. "Well?"

"The Jeks were thrilled to have the Devourers back. Apparently, the Jeks believe that _The Sharing_ cleanses bad energy, and makes both beings stronger," the Doctor replied, repeating the adepts' explanation. 

"That's great, it really is," Rose answered, meaning every word, "but it's not really what I was talking about."

"Oh? Um, okay, well, what's on your mind then?" The Doctor looked thoroughly uncomfortable, and he ruffled his hands through his hair, making it stand even more on end.

Two things were, and Rose knew each one would be disturbing in its own way. She wanted to press for details on the Time War; she wanted to ask about the kiss. Finally, she opted for the safer subject. "You kissed me, Doctor."

"I had to!" he countered quickly, and he was entirely thankful that the circulatory systems of Time Lords prevented blushing. "We were trying to finish the story, and I wasn't taking any chances with waking you up any other way."

"So… it was completely for my own good?" Somehow, she managed to remain both serious and innocent.

"Absolutely!" maintained the Doctor.

Rose's eyes twinkled. "And you didn't enjoy it?"

"Not even a bit," he replied staunchly, hoping against hope that she wouldn't force an elaboration. Because he had enjoyed it, illicit as it was, and he wasn't about to face the complications that would bring.

"You are such a liar!" Rose laughed, though she covered it quickly. "I was there too, you know, and it certainly didn't feel perfunctory on my end." In fact, she could still sense the press of his lips, still feel the sensation of the Doctor's hair sliding through her fingers. "That was…" Rose let the thought peter out before she spoke; _true love's kiss._ "Something else." Reaching out, she took his hand off the console and linked their fingers together.

The Doctor looked at their joined hands, feeling the skin-on-skin contact spread the usual flush through his body, felt both hearts physically speeding up for a pair of beats each, felt his breath catch deep in his throat. "Maybe I am a liar," he allowed, as soon as he was in control. "Don't ask me again."

Normally, Rose would have respected that no-go line the Doctor had just drawn, but this was not a normal circumstance. She knew the Doctor loved her; she knew that _he_ knew it was most certainly reciprocated. And so they didn't speak of it, or act on it. But now an outside force had pushed it--

That realization set Rose out on a completely different avenue of thought. For all intents, this was their first kiss, and in a way it had been stolen from them. Or even worse, watching the Doctor stare at their still-joined hands, she could imagine it as a violation.

Of them both. 

That put everything into a different light, and Rose simply threw herself into hugging the Doctor as tightly as she could. 

He stiffened at first, then almost instantly relaxed. His arms wrapped around her, and he pressed a feathery kiss to her forehead. "Yes, I enjoyed it," he confessed.

Rose lifted her face so that she was smiling up at him. "So did I. Maybe… maybe you want to try it again, when I'm awake, just to get the full impact?"

An unspoken offer; _I was asleep, we were following a script, it didn't count. Let's make our own first kiss._.

It was an offer the Doctor accepted eagerly, his fingertips tracing Rose's face, the chapped skin of dry lips scraping over the pads of his fingers. 

Rose's tongue darted out to wet her lips, and tasted the Doctor on them. Her hands went up to cup his face, and she pulled him down into a kiss. 

It lasted just short of eternity.

Electricity flowed like wine between them, sensitizing every cell in both their bodies. Rose's clothes chafed uncomfortably against her skin, a barrier against the Doctor as he pushed himself in closer. Her body heat was an inferno and he drank it up. Rose's hands found their way back into the Doctor's hair, while his hands splayed against her back to keep her pressed in close. 

The kiss itself was almost ancillary, lips and teeth and tongue and bottled-up, long-denied desperation. Sweat sheened on both their faces from the warmth, and when it finally broke, neither could do anything. They both rested, forehead to forehead, panting for breath while breathing the other in. 

It was as close as they could be at the moment without being in the same body. 

"Better?" whispered Rose, stroking his hair and face. 

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor's smile was nearly as wide as his face, and the haunted shadows in his eyes had lightened. "You all right?"

"Never better," came the honest reply as she nestled closer to the Doctor. The sound of two hearts beating was calming, and she loved it. 

Everything changed with that kiss, but as Rose stayed pressed tightly against his chest, he realized that nothing had. Rose still trusted him, loved him, and still wanted to stay with him. 

Anything else could wait; as long as Rose and the Doctor were in the TARDIS together, all was right with the universe.

\--Fin  
2-5-2014

**Author's Note:**

> This began as a short little thing, inspired by a drawing, "Briar Rose," by the-untempered-prism. It turned into a monster of almost ten thousand words. It boggles the mind, really.


End file.
